are you ready? mustang music rides again!

September 29, 2015

Fall is our favorite time of year on the Outer Banks, and the Mustang Music Festival has become one of the reasons why. Friday and Saturday, October 9th and 10th will find the sleepy village of Corolla bursting with awesome live music. In just five years, the MMF has grown into two solid days of stellar music, art, food and beverages, all set on the glorious grounds of Whalehead of Historic Corolla.

Three stages, 18 bands (including Keller Williams and Rusted Root!), five roaming musicians, kick-off parties, and late-night jam sessions will keep festival go-ers oh so happy. (Check out the lineup HERE.) Loads of local food and beverage vendors will keep your belly full, and the KidZone, presented by Kitty Hawk Kites features a rock wall, a mechanical bucking shark, arts, kitemaking, arts, crafts and more all weekend long. The Artisan’s Market makes shoppers smile and the Silent Disco, well, you’ll just have to go there to see what THAT is all about.

Last year’s Mustang Music Festival at The Whalehead Club. Photo by John Phillips of Festy Shots.

The Mustang Music Festival is more than just a pretty party. The festival supports two very worthy causes, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and it’s own Mustang Outreach Program.

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund was formed in 1989 by a group of concerned citizen volunteers to heighten awareness about the presence of wild horses in the area. As the Currituck Outer Banks became more and more developed, between 1985 and 1996, twenty horses were killed or injured by vehicles on Highway 12. By 1997, the remaining horses were relocated behind two sound-to-sea fences, 11 miles apart. Although referenced as a wild horse “sanctuary”, the 7,544 acres accessible to the horses is a mix of 1/3 public land and 2/3 private land. There are 3,150 platted lots with nearly 21% of the northern beaches being built out. The beach is a public road and the accessible only by 4 wheel drive vehicle.For more info and history on the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, visit www.corollawildhorses.com.

The Mustang Outreach Program aims to touch the hearts and minds of our youth in a time when many schools are finding their cultural arts program budgets slashed. Since 2012 they have been working towards strengthening this program where talented local, regional and national musicians will work with and perform before our local students to broaden their cultural horizons. With the help of local businesses and industry professionals, this program has already begun reaching heights of which both Currituck and Dare County students have only dreamed.

“Festival visionary, and local OBX business owner, Mike Dianna, dreamed up this steadily growing righteous festival four years ago stating, “I want to produce a festival that musicians want to play; an event where vendors have a blast while making a profit; where sponsors not only have a fantastic time entertaining their clients, friends and families, but also leave them wanting to support the event annually; a festival where patrons and fans await the next year the moment that they step off of the site; an event which benefits one of the region’s most sacred assets, the Corolla Wild Horses.” This vision still holds true as the mission of the Mustang Music Festival, founded in 2011, enters its fifth year this October 9th-10th. The Fest, having outgrown its former home at Mike Dianna’s Grill Room, made a move to Whalehead in Historic Corolla in 2014.”

Volunteers are a big part of what keep the festivities flowing, so if you’re up for helping out you can exchange some work for entrance to the festival and some other perks. Sign up online HERE.

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Good morning everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend. I actually got out of bed this morning for a few sunrise photos. This is the Outer Banks Fishing Pier at blue hour just before sunrise. Please feel free to share. Thanks! :)